Fealty
by peppermintyrose
Summary: Eric explains through his reason for the pledging, with emphasis on his political reasoning. One shot.


_Disclaimer: All of the following is thoughtfully rearranged from the original works of Charlaine Harris. So I cannot scream MINE._

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* * *

_I realise everyone puts stock in the bond being something that's a romantic gesture, and my other fic **Thrall** clarifies why I don't see it as romantic – it is however, the perfect allegory for Southern slavery. The pledging however, _was_ a romantic gesture, if viewed in its proper political context. If you have to have a term to define their relationship, "my pledged" is infinitely better than "my bonded".

Thanks to **Thyra10** for asking me questions about what constitutes something that is a loving gesture – the pledging isn't without all other reasons, so I hesitate to call it loving, but it's the stuff of book Eric romance. The books in which he gives her a driveway – practical yet with utmost thought and consideration.

Love and kisses to **worthfighting4** who used her awesome powers of not liking politics to look this over and see if it made sense to those who don't like politics. Your kindness sets my THONG ON FIRE. :D

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There are no rules defined for Sookie and Eric's pledge, but CH has 300 or so pages, so no word is wasted or can be discounted – she can't even find time for long talks yearned for in fanfic. :P Things about Sookie's life are "squirreled away to think about later" (meaning it's the reader's job) so I can only assume that the pledging with Russell Edgington and Bartlett Crowe in _All Together Dead_ was included for a reason. I know _I _wasn't particularly vested in seeing how they tied the knot (as long as they were happy the logistics don't matter that much really), so I think there's a reason it was included. Thus, for me, until I read DITF, it influences the pledge of Sookie and Eric. As you'll see from my other fics, little bits and pieces that mean nothing one day (such as the seemingly pointless chat with Felicia when she becomes bartender) shed a lot of light on other issues fans want to know about.

For those of you without your books at the ready, here is the relevant excerpt from _All Together Dead_:

_"Russell and Bart have agreed, both verbally and by written covenant, to ally their states for a hundred years._

_For a hundred years, they may not marry any other. They may not form an alliance with any other, unless that alliance is mutually agreed_

_and witnessed. Each must pay the other a conjugal visit at least once a welfare of Russell's kingdom shall come second only to his own_

_in Bart's sight, and the welfare of Bart's kingdom shall come second only to his own in Russell's sight._

_Russell Edgington, King of Mississippi, do you agree to this covenant?"_

**Covenant**: a promise or agreement. Oaths of fealty were a medieval convention, so I sourced from them as well. One degree as usual, and now on with the show:

* * *

I hung up the phone, after leaving a message for Sookie about what I wished for her to do. I couldn't get to her but I needed everything tomorrow night to go just right. I couldn't leave it up to chance that she would listen to the messages, and would send Bobby over with the ceremonial knife and instructions tomorrow. Sookie wouldn't be leaving my Area, not for Las Vegas or New Orleans. She would be staying here.

.*° o O 0 * 0 O o °*.

The death knell for Sophie Ann's reign began at Rhodes. Not the bombing itself, but gaining the entire empty territory of Arkansas. New Orleans wasn't in the best of shape after Katrina, and another territory to manage and oversee would be a tough job.

Thanks to the battle with Threadgill's people at the Queen's wedding party, the numbers of Arkansas vampires were decimated. I saw to some of that myself. Arkansas lost a lot of vampires that night, including the King and some of the oldest vampires that had put down roots in the state.

Of course, some important lieutenants were left behind in the state of Arkansas to run the show while Threadgill took on our Queen and died for it. They then came to Rhodes and were slaughtered as well. Arkansas might have survived under Jennifer Cater's short reign, but it had a dearth of vampires even before that.

Henrik Feith was killed of course, which left Arkansas with no vampires and no power structure to control rogues, run businesses and deal with Areas. In short, it was a mess – an empty mess. Sophie Ann would have found it difficult to administer both Arkansas and Louisiana with New Orleans in the shambles it was in.

To a vampire, her choices weren't good. She could have submitted to the punishment for killing Threadgill, and acquiesced to Jennifer Cater's demands to keep Arkansas to herself. It probably would have meant her final death or whatever price Jennifer Cater asked for. Sookie told us all that Jennifer wanted to see our Queen staked out on the roof. Louisiana would have gone to Cater's decimated regime, and maybe some Sheriffs too, as Arkansas didn't have a lot of vampires eager for the job, or a lot of vampires period. With Sophie Ann gone, those of us who had sworn fealty would be freed from our pledge, and follow a new royal.

Following a new royal would not have been a problem. They were all different in their take on things, but their job was essentially the same, no matter where you went or who was royalty. Their job was to collect tribute payments from Areas and ensure Sheriffs were running their Areas to their proper abilities. As some humans have said, "Here comes the new boss, same as the old boss". Hierarchy was built on the politics of reputation, not friendship. Friends did not work as hard to make money for the regime and often expected slack.

But Sophie Ann was short on money, and even poor Arkansas had more than enough to bolster New Orleans. She also didn't want to lose her life and her territory. With the consummate skill of a plotter, she took out Jennifer Cater and even insignificant Henrik Feith. If Rhodes had ended normally, the combined territory of Louisiana and Arkansas would have been a big burden to manage, and the regime would be vulnerable for a long time. Too few vampires stretched too thin across two states. It would have been a mess for years.

Then of course, there was the impromptu ending of the conference by the Fellowship and the loss of some more Louisiana vampires, and injury to some more. With the Queen seriously damaged and not coherent enough to rule, the position would have fallen to her second, Andre.

Andre fell in the bombing, which meant that the next choice was Gervaise as Area Four with Baton Rouge was the Queen's temporary headquarters. Gervaise hadn't survived the bombing either. Between the rest of the Sheriffs, the hierarchy was unclear. Most of the physical space of our respective territories were large enough that they tested our abilities as they were. Arla Yvonne, Cleo Babbit and my hands were full already before the loss of some of our compatriots.

Sigebert was useful only for guarding Sophie Ann. He had no skills to enable him to pull together the combined territories and no ability to run the Louisiana territory. The burden fell to the Sheriffs, and we had no capabilities to do it. We'd all lost vampires in Katrina, and in Rhodes. Some were seriously injured even if they were alive, and incapable of tangible help. There was nothing to be done but be aware of the possibility of a hostile takeover. We three remaining Sheriffs set up a phone chain, and all vampires in our Areas were put on alert to tell us if they noticed foreign vampires entering our territories and report them to the Sheriff.

It was only a matter of time before the current regime fell apart. When that time came, we would need to be ready for it all. Ready to make a decision as to what to do, and to hold the territory as we had sworn to do.

.*° o O 0 * 0 O o °*.

The first solid indication that there were scouts in my Area came from Sookie Stackhouse. As a telepath who'd made quite the splash at Rhodes and made sure that the entire courtroom noticed her, the interest in her was logical. Of course, we often had vampires passing through our Area; so one new face wasn't anything sinister. But going to talk to Sookie indicated not a passing visitor, but someone doing reconnaissance.

Her description of him was helpful, but didn't enlighten me as to which royal was currently looking into our territory. I didn't know him, and didn't get a look at him. I didn't know which state was doing reconnaissance, and I had to be on my toes. Even though it was hopeless to try and resist the incoming takeover, I needed all my resources to keep myself alive throughout the coming days.

I had no choice but to weather the coming storm. I had roots in Northern Louisiana. A substantial business portfolio that included Fangtasia, my own underlings who had taken oath to me, and of course the oath that I gave to Sophie Ann. In her current situation, she was hardly likely to release me. If she had a hope to survive, then she relied on her Sheriffs. Running was not an option, even though I had rebuilt time and again over the centuries, it was not available to me at this time. Fighting it had to be, and I can't say that that made me unhappy.

I hoped to survive whatever was going to happen, but since my information was limited as to time and place, and who our foes would be, it was a matter of staying alert to any potential threat.

The Las Vegas regime was the one to make the takeover, and once I thought hard about my decision, I swore fealty. It was a matter of swearing to our new King or die. The odds were not in our favour. Arla Yvonne and Cleo Babbitt died in their attempt to make a stand against invading forces. Fangtasia was surrounded, and the only person in my Area with the freedom to act was Pam.

I had those who had sworn their oaths to me, and entrusted me to make the right decision. I may have made a good showing, as Bill had proposed that we could, but I had obligations to my underlings. I could not choose to throw away their lives. Of course, Sookie would also be at risk from the new regime, but she was one of many. They would have spared her life because of her value. The vampires in my Area would not be so lucky, as I had gathered them all at Fangtasia, which Victor had said was surrounded with plenty of manpower. My foolishness and lack of strategy would have cost them their lives.

There was nothing but to surrender. If I had wished to go to a higher power and bring suit against Las Vegas, it would be a pointless exercise. Sophie Ann had been killed, and the states were in a shambles long before she died. Arkansas and Louisiana had fewer vampires, and we had been stretched too thin before. Now it would be impossible. The best part about this takeover was that it was relatively swift, and in my area, relatively bloodless. If we fought off this takeover, it would have ensured that any future takeover would be drawn out as we were all picked off one by one. This was for the best ultimately, that I would be offered my life, my position, all as it was before. It was the option I hadn't considered – to surrender and live. So I did.

.*° o O 0 * 0 O o °*.

After the decision was made, and the new regime accepted, my memories of my time spent at Sookie's house came back, and I had a new consideration to factor into my machinations. Before those memories, I cared for Sookie, and felt affection toward her, even though our relationship was deep and problematic in and of itself. After those memories, I knew what it was that I could have.

Sookie's value to me personally increased exponentially. Keeping her alive did not seem adequate. I may have wanted her before, but now I knew what my reward might be.

Removed from anything I knew, the time spent in her house showed me how devalued she was by supes and humans alike. In an effort to show her that I didn't just care about the telepathy, I went to Merlotte's Bar when Sam told me that Sookie was silent and angry. Indeed, I had felt echoes of that through the bond.

I achieved my goal of showing her that I cared, but that night couldn't have ended worse. Felipe de Castro tracked me to where we were, and saw what was of value to me – Sookie. Worse still, he saw what everyone else who came into contact with her saw.

Sookie wasn't just a telepath. If that wasn't enough reason to acquire her as an asset, then the whole package was. That night she showed that she was resourceful and brave, willing to put herself in the line of fire for vampires, and to defeat enemies. She also showed herself to be bright and respectful, and important to me for more than just an asset.

That was a nightmare. Sookie was valuable enough as it was, and with a casino empire, Felipe de Castro had reason to want his own telepath – more than Sophie Ann ever did. Casinos were notorious for corrupt schemes of employees and gamblers alike. A telepath could keep more money in your hands than ever.

The fact that she was valuable to me also made her position more dangerous. Sookie would be a nice piece of leverage for the King – something that de Castro could hold over my head to make me behave, or do anything he wished. In trying to show her that I valued her, I hadn't realised how closely I was being watched while I was hosting the King.

While the Las Vegas regime kept me because I was practical and as Victor said the most efficient, practical and lucrative Sheriff, I wasn't completely trusted. Of course, that was to be expected. I wasn't personally chosen, and my work needed to be assessed. What they found out didn't alleviate any doubts that they would have about leaving me alone to take charge of my Area.

Unlike some other vampires in positions of power, I was always hands-on with my staff, spending hours in the bar, and generally engaging in what I'd read was good management practice. My underlings were very loyal to me. Unlike Arla Yvonne, who only had some of her servitors die with her and some abandon her to survive, all of my people were prepared to fight for and with me the night of the takeover, like Cleo Babbitt's people.

Combined with my age, the fact that I had loyalty amongst my people didn't offer comfort to the regime. From de Castro's viewpoint, I could be ready to attempt a coup after I built up some connections with Las Vegas vampires. My age gave me the advantage that I knew quite a few vampires, so I didn't need to establish new relations, just revive some old ones.

I felt no need to be King, to control more territory, but it didn't escape de Castro's notice that I could have been King if I wished, and that if I so chose, I was a dangerous vampire to have in a position of power if I was unhappy. At the current time, he had the advantage of numbers, but Las Vegas was a long way from Northern Louisiana, and he spent most of his time in a state far away. It was undoubtedly why Victor Madden was installed as Sheriff in New Orleans.

If the King could get his hands on a valuable piece of leverage like Sookie, he could ensure my loyalty. Pam could defend herself, and was useful, as well as being my second. Sookie was vulnerable and even without her telepathy, she was valuable just because de Castro could take her and offer me a subtle threat that I should keep doing what I was doing, rather than make waves.

The consolidation and control of Louisiana and Arkansas was difficult enough without de Castro finding out he had clasped a viper to his breast, so I was one to be watched and controlled. Sookie offered a wonderful way to do that, and a nice asset to use in the meantime.

When de Castro suggested that her reward should be formal protection, I leapt at this new suggestion. Perhaps I had proved my loyalty by killing Sigebert, and secured my place. I told Sookie of the promise that the King had made to her.

It was not to be. The King was _very_ forward thinking. He'd worked out that he could both honour and obtain her. That wasn't going to happen. I had to find a way to keep her out of his clutches, and in my Area.

.*° o O 0 * 0 O o °*.

What I needed was to give her advanced status, and myself rights over her. An employment deal wouldn't hold strength in Felipe's eyes – he had rights over those employees of mine, even those that were human.

A pledge was the only way to go about it. The pledge of fealty meant that you had to give into the demands of whomever you pledged fealty to. I was bound under the rules of the pledge to give money to de Castro through tribute, and to hold his lands for him. My pledge didn't give me any freedom to do what it was that I wished. It set up rights and obligations for me. When Katrina had hit New Orleans, it was part of those duties to increase the aid I gave to the Queen, and to help her track down those who had raided her stores.

Since Felipe de Castro wanted her to be obligated to him, I could not allow her to become part of the regime. He could command her through my oath of fealty. What I needed was to tie her to me specifically, so that anything he did would go through me.

As it stood right now, her status with the bond made her a slave. Sookie needed an elevated position, so I decided to pledge us in marriage. She wouldn't like it, but I doubt she'd want to leave Louisiana to be in service to the King either. As a result of her increased status, he couldn't force a blood exchange on her, as Andre had done, as it would constitute a blood offence. I could seek retribution if he decided to try to control her with his blood.

With that pledge, she would be beholden only to me, and I could force Felipe de Castro to have me involved in what happened to Sookie.

.*° o O 0 * 0 O o °*.

It was a political risk, I admit. I am not adverse to risk, but I weighed it carefully. I might care about Sookie, and not want to lose her, but my only obligation is not to her. If I did this thing, this pledge, I would put other lives on the line, because they will pay the price if I get it wrong. I wasn't just risking my own life, but the lives of those around me, because they relied on my protection. Indeed, I hosted vampires that had fled other Areas, like Indira and Felicia, and some that were cast out of other Areas like Thalia. If I miscalculated and was stripped of my position, or killed, they would not fare so well. As a result, I considered it carefully.

The pledge would give her definite status among vampires. As a human it would be an elevation. Not to humans of course, but to other vampires. She would go from her present status, which varies on how it is that the human should serve vampires under the "Vampires First" policies that made use of them; to somewhat more of an equal. Not a complete equal of course, based on the fact that she was human, but she would be seen as my wife, and thus have more status than any other human I was in contact with.

Like vampire marriages, she would need my approval to work for other vampires under the same system that Kings and Queens used – she could make no covenant without my approval. Of course, I could make no covenant without her approval, but all of my deals had been done before marriage. I doubt that Sookie would opt to get involved in my own business dealings. In the unlikely event of another takeover, I was free to act in my own interests, just not in another's interest over hers. Since it was in both of our interests not to be killed in a takeover, my decisions were my own. That was of little concern – Sookie might be stubborn, and impulsive, and care too much, but she'd never put a foot wrong politically. If in doubt, she looked to me, so I was fine with her having that similar control over my actions.

If she could make no covenant without my approval, she couldn't be forced to work for Felipe – only take advantage of his protection. There was little reason for him to summon her to Las Vegas if she couldn't work for him. Since it was in my interest to have a telepath in my area, all I needed to be able to show was that Sookie was of use in my area. If nothing was true about Sookie, I had a whole lot of incidents to show her use. Under the terms of the pledge, she couldn't put the interests of another above mine.

So with that, I could lock out Felipe de Castro taking her away to Las Vegas. Of course, the beauty about politics is that what you do matters symbolically as well as practically.

By pledging Sookie and myself, I had drawn a line in the sand. I knew the gossip in my Area, and indeed further, was full of stories about my interest in Sookie. The fact that the Las Vegas regime had sent a scout to look at Sookie meant that they knew that she was important business asset. That I surrendered to my new leaders in her home spoke volumes as to her personal status with me. That was brought straight to Felipe de Castro's attention when he found me outside Merlotte's, waiting for her. I had to make it clear to them that I would go along with their processes; with their overseeing me, but not with the plans they had for Sookie. By pledging us, I made it clear that she was important to me – worth the risk.

Felipe de Castro was no less caught by the political move than I was. If he moved against me to take down my Area and kill me, he would dissuade other Sheriffs from considering his interests and look to their own safety. If he tried to destroy my life, then other Sheriffs would be waiting for the axe to fall on them, over what was important to them. By making a statement about her, by pledging us, I was pointing out her importance. Any breaking of the oath of fealty with me would also hurt de Castro.

Being King, you had to guard your back all the time, from those within your regime who would usurp you in their lust for power. Of course, it wouldn't always succeed, but even a failure wastes resources. If he moved against me in an overt manner, all the other Sheriffs who were thinking to grab power might do so sooner rather than later, just in case Felipe de Castro decides he wants something they have. All royalty have punishments for displeasing them, and not following orders, but at no time did he forbid me to pledge myself to anyone – he would never have considered that I thought she was worthy of that status. After all, he would see her only as a human, with little value – no reason to give her something that raised her importance.

With the other Sheriffs watching, he could not afford to take radical moves, kill me, and all the other vampires in my Area. I trusted that he was a smart Monarch, and would avoid that. He might try by cunning to get what he wanted, but there is a limit to the value of a telepath who wasn't completely out of his reach – just not his to order about. Felipe de Castro in his leadership could not afford to be seen as a bully who would overstep his bounds.

By destroying my Area, he would end up more of a loser. The money Sookie could make him was hypothetical. The money I made him was real and tangible – the largest amount in the state at the time of the takeover – in a state already haemorrhaging funds thanks to Katrina. Since Bill and his database were in my Area, and he was my largest moneymaker, the fact that he was also at Sookie's house the night of the Takeover meant that his opinion on her being taken to Las Vegas would matter as well.

If the Las Vegas regime took any definitive moves against me, they would be taking dollars from their own pocket, for a telepath whose value was unknown. Felipe de Castro could no longer just summarily take her – I would have cause to show in a tribunal, in front of the Ancient Pythoness, that he had broken the terms of my pledge. I had that option of course with the takeover, but there was little point – Sophie Ann was dead, and I had no wish to be King. I had no one to fight for. Felipe would surely keep Sookie alive – that was the purpose of his plan, and I could take him to a tribunal. I am sure that he has no wish to be staked in punishment, or punished in any other way for a telepath who is still technically available to him.

Nor would he be forcing me to relocate to Las Vegas in order to keep me close and to use Sookie's telepathy. I was useless in Las Vegas – a vampire hanger on, who would greatly resent his position. It would better serve de Castro's purposes to keep me here in Louisiana and keep me earning. My employees were motivated, I worked hard, and I brought something to the table, as they say in modern parlance.

If he had great need for her services, he could of course summon me, and ask for permission to use my wife in service of telepathy – and that would be something that I would decide when it came to that. Depending on how the situation read at the time, I would think on that at the time. But Sookie would be with me, escorted by me, and returning with me. If she didn't, if he double-crossed me in Vegas, other Sheriffs, other vampires wouldn't respond to his summons eagerly for fear of their own assets, their own lives.

Of course, it would mean that Sookie would need to be of use in my Area, because if de Castro couldn't see her use, he could argue that she wasn't needed here. I had no doubt that he would watch me and my Area carefully, to see if he could argue that I had no personal need for Sookie. That would mean more visits from Victor, to see what it was that she did here. I have faith that her use would show within a small amount of time.

I had told my employees – Pam, Clancy and Felicia what I was doing, and if they were asked to attest to how Sookie had been of use, they were to do so. Pam readily agreed, of course, having her own fondness for Sookie and respect for my leadership. Felicia feared the curse of the bartenders, but she would do what I asked for fear of angering Sookie and drawing her wrath.

Clancy did not agree so readily. He despised that a human would have any such status, and that I would give any human such an honour. She was beneath us, he had argued, and he didn't care if she went to Las Vegas. He did not wish to put his life "for a mere human" on the line if Felipe de Castro decided she was a better asset than all of us. Finally after I reminded him of the oaths he took to me, and that the decision was mine, he agreed. If he pushed the point, he could leave my service and seek his fortune elsewhere.

.*° o O 0 * 0 O o °*.

I called Sookie's phone again. There was no answer, so I left yet another message, and called Bobby Burnham. I gave him the knife wrapped in the bundle – the symbol of our blood exchange for the marriage. I couldn't exchange blood without Victor knowing what I was doing, so the knife would serve as the symbol to do this. Our blood would seal the covenant, even though the exchange was months ago. This time tomorrow, I would call Sookie my wife.


End file.
